When we read about a groundbreaking surgical procedure, we picture the surgeon using the scapel, not the hundreds of tests and years of clinical study that guided his incisions. When we watch an exciting football game, we see the elite quarterback dismantling a defense, not the days he spent watching film with a DVD remote in his hand instead of a ball.

We see the success, not the research that drove it.

However, at the Knight Center of Digital Excellence, we view research a little differently than most. Research data has proven itself to be invaluable to our cause of creating connected communities. Solid research serves as the backbone for any successful broadband initiative and ensures we don’t enter a community “blind.”

And it’s not just about collecting as many statistics and facts as possible. Research also includes making determinations on what to research and how to go about it. As the saying goes, there’s a method to the madness. So, how do we go about it? Knight Center Research Analyst Debra Canale took some time to provide detail on a handful of the many valuable tools in our data-gathering arsenal:

Environmental Scans give us a complete overview of a community even before we step into it. They help to answer:

• Who are the major stakeholders and key entities in the community?

• What is the demographic profile of the community?

• What are the economic/labor issues confronting the community?

• What are the major headlines/issues facing the community?

• What is the history of broadband/wi-fi/digital inclusion/technology, etc. initiatives in the community?

• What is the regulatory environment to promote/hinder broadband initiatives?

• What are the “anchor institutions” and key employers of the community?

• Who are the major stakeholders in the community and what kind of projects do they fund? Has the state issued any grants to fund technology/broadband initiatives?

• How does the community stand regarding the three top Knight Center verticals: Education, health care and e-government?

• How does the community stand regarding the six second-tier verticals: Safety and response, economic development, social services, workforce development, journalism and new media, civic engagement and arts and culture?

Broadband Market Profiles help benchmark current broadband coverage for households and institutional users and help identify market gaps and opportunities. They also help to answer:

• What are the broadband options available in a community (number of vendors, speeds, prices, adoption)?

• What are the disparities in broadband availability within the community (based on income, geographic location, etc.)?

• Who are the potential partners, competitors and customers?

Asset Inventories help us determine existing assets within a community that can be leveraged for a broadband infrastructure project by answering:

• What are the existing physical broadband assets within the community?

• What other community assets can be leveraged for a broadband project?

• Are there any regulations/ordinances that impact broadband deployment?

• Has the community received any funding that can be leveraged for a broadband initiative?

According to Canale, the first pass on these reports is based solely on secondary data from open and subscription data bases and other published sources – with phone calls to government offices, schools, libraries and other institutions thrown in for good measure.

Solid research is key to a successful broadband initiative. The first round of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act broadband stimulus program provided numerous opportunities for Knight Communities to pursue platforms for open dialogue, innovation, thought leadership and high-impact access projects. To ensure communities had the best chance to receive stimulus funding, the Knight Center relied on a five-stage research methodology to prove target areas were unserved/underserved as part of the Broadband Initiative Program and Broadband Technology Opportunities Program application directives.

The point: We place serious emphasis on the efforts of Canale and the entire research team. It not only enhances our efforts in the field, but it helps provide communities with an idea on how to ground their broadband projects with data-driven market realities.

Tags: American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, asset inventories, BIP, broadband, Broadband Initiatives Program, broadband market profile, Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, BTOP, civic engagement, Debra Canale, digital inclusion, DVD, e-government, education, environmental scan, healthcare, infrastructure, innovation, Internet, journalism, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Knight communities, new media, public safety, research, stimulus, utilities, Wi-Fi